Our normal car is still having starter problems - sigh.....We ordered a part from Toyota in South Africa - it was to be in the next day, but they didn't say which year - so now we are looking at the end of April. Sometimes our car doesn't start - turn the key and 'nothing'. I have pretty much figured out it is the magnetic switch next to the starter because I can pound it with a steel rod and a sledge hammer and it resets and it will start. But even that isn't working all the time now.
So, we're renting this other car from our school. The police seem to know my other car and we hardly ever get stopped when we are driving it. But this other one - we were taking our guests into town last Saturday and I'm on this short road near the port and this young guy in a 'hot car' passes me and flys down this crowded city street well in excess of 100 km/hr - right past this police stop - through it with smoke, noise and dust flying and policemen ducking for cover. We are the next car and they pull me over. I almost ignored them because I've gotten quite hardened to the police harrassment here and I knew these were not traffic police but they did have AK47's in hand and waved them at me, so wisdom (maybe) prevailed (I guess the lesson is that if I drive 100 km/hr in town - it is too fast to be stopped or shot at!).
I ask him where is his "white hat" officer because I know these guys didn't have authority over vehicles. We argue the point for a while and he asks me to prove it is my car. I ask him why they didn't pull over the car that passed us at 100 km/hr - is that ok to do in the city? He actually blushed a bit and then we hand over documents and then he wants to see my drivers license. I really think this is a corruption deal and so I'm getting a bit fussy with them. Then, Ann has removed her seat belt in the backseat (we had guests with us) and so they start making a deal about that - Ann gives it right back to them - the car is stopped, she doesn't have to have the seat belt on. So, then, they look at my Pennsylvania driver's license copy (never hand them the real thing!) and they say "ah ha!", your driver's license is expired.
My license expires on 9/1/2010. In PA or the States, that means September 1, 2010. BUT, in Mozambique, it means January 9, 2010! So we try to explain but they think we're lying.
So he calls in his buddies with their guns - we got em - expired drivers license and no seat belt. Maybe we've lived here too long, but we just stayed firm and I handed them another license (it's a process, don't play all your cards at once when dealing with corrupt policemen) - I hand them my international license where the date is clearly written in script - no question it is good.
It's all part of the game but at least now we know enough Portuguese to deal with it!
I really don't mind dealing with the police stops when they ask to see things and are courteous and it isn't clearly a trap / corruption deal. This one was different. But, they can see that we're not backing down, so they pull over someone else that looks like easier prey and let us go.
It's all a day in the life here.
The next day, in our normal car (it started!) someone tried to steal our headlight while we were at church in the city (outside the seminary). A nice white hat policemen pulled me over on the way home and asked why my headlight was hanging down from the wire....sigh, we wondered about that noise when we went over a bump......We had a very nice discussion and I thanked him for his helpfulness. Someone had pried it out and broke the bracket while we were in church, so someone (or us) must have come by before he could make off with the headlight. Now, officially, every light on the front of the car is reattached with nylon wire ties after being stolen and bought back or otherwise replaced. So is the front bumper. Nylon wire ties are great!
I'm almost sure I didn't pray for patience this last weekend! But more importantly, as I reflect on that particular day, it may have been a missed opportunity. It is so difficult in the face of all the nonsense of life here for us to stay on course; to not react in haste to obvious injustice. But I'm sure you never have that problem....(see verse below).
Lord, may we never cease to acknowledge your presence in our times of trial. Help us to become more like you with each passing day and forgive us in our weakness.
Blessings.
"But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses." 2 Co 6:4
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